With Brexit negotiations due to start next week, I want to put a spotlight on a few key issues that the new Government will have to address if it is to ensure that the new arrangements help rather than hinder its environmental ambitions.  Today, my colleague, Dr Euan Dunn offers his thoughts on the implications of new research on the relationship between fishing intensity and kittiwake breeding success.

Image courtesy…

After the shock General Election results - a hung parliament which confounded even our own internal sweepstake - everyone is trying to work out what happens next and what it means for all of us. 

What is clear, is that the UK political system has given us another entertaining night of shocks, soundbites and comebacks.  All the chatter this morning was about Mr. Bucket Head, awkward high fives and the likely views of Brenda…

In a little under 36 hours, the polls will open and I shall visit a local community centre in Cambridge to mark a cross with a pencil against the name that I want to be my Member of Parliament.  I have voted in every poll since the local elections on 4 May 1989 and always enjoy what feels like a national rite of passage.

While the election campaign has been unpredictable and punctuated by appalling acts of terrorism,…

A guest blog by the RSPB’s principal climate advisor, John Lanchbery.


President Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement on climate change isolates him from the rest of the world. The other six G7 leaders have strongly endorsed the treaty.

Worryingly, Trump has said that he would seek to negotiate a new deal that would not disadvantage the United States. The concern is that by doing so, the delicately negotiated…

The RSPB has a clear mission: to inspire a world richer in nature.  Core to this is the need for more, bigger, better and connected protected areas and for an improvement in the wildlife value of land outside of these protected areas. 

Given that 70% of the UK is farmed and agriculture has been cited as the biggest driver of decline in species populations, we have to find ways for wildlife to coexist alongside farming…

I have just spent 42 hours in Cyprus at the invitation of our BirdLife partner on the island.  Given the spike in profile and public reaction to the recent report on the number of birds being illegally killed on the island (c.2.3 million in 2016), it was an opportunity to get a better understanding of the challenges and to meet some of the key people working together to deal with the problem.

However, my visit also coincided…

There is something deeply liberating about setting a 200 year vision.  It allows you to paint a picture of the future you want and then make sure you take the right next steps along that path.  While this may not be plausible for some (including politicians who rarely, if ever, look beyond the five year term of a parliament), it is essential if you want to restore a habitat like Caledonian pinewood. 

This weekend, the RSPB…

Four years ago, following the publication of the first State of Nature report, I was keen to stimulate a debate about what we needed to do to live in harmony with nature.  So I asked a range of people to propose One Big Thing for Nature.  The one that has always stuck in my mind was the simple challenge laid by our Vice-President, Chris Packham.  He rightly argued that conservation organisations had learnt how to improve…

Parliament has now 'prorogued', officially bringing an end to this Parliamentary session. As Peers doffed or tipped their hats to mark the remaining Bills becoming Acts this week, whether you like it or not, all eyes now focus on the official start of the General Election period – including the party manifestos being launched.

As charity, the RSPB is strictly non-party political and we don’t have a view…

At the end of the wonderful #EarthOptimism event in Cambridge ten days ago, psychologist Professor Steven Pinker gave a deeply thought-provoking talk.  He had previously presented data to argue that as a species we are less violent today than we have been throughout our history and he has now turned his attention to our impact on the environment.  His central argument, which will be laid out in a book to be published next…

If news of the general election is making you feel a bit like Brenda from Bristol, then there are two events this weekend that could bring cheer and perhaps even offer some clues for current or aspiring politicians about how they can effectively use their voices for nature.

First up tomorrow is a chance to celebrate #EarthOptimism in Cambridge.  This is part of a series of events taking place on Earth Day, 22 April, uniting…

Just in case you were busy looking at wildlife over the Easter weekend, here is the letter that was sent to the Prime Minister regarding the UK Government's environmental commitments.  It received media coverage here, here and here.  This was triggered by newspaper reports based on leaked documents that suggested that trade and growth would be prioritised at the expense of efforts to tackle global warming and the illegal…

It's Good Friday tomorrow, so I have brought forward my weekly good news slot.  Here, my colleague Nicola Crockford, who recently celebrated 25 years working at the RSPB, tells the story of the recent inclusion of the Yellow Sea on the UNESCO tentative World Heritage List.

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There are some sites that are important for migrating birds and then there are others that are so fundamentally…

Today, State of UK Birds 2016 is published.  It's a fabulous publication collated by a partnership of government bodies and charities based on data collected by many thousands of volunteers who give their time for free.

Through these assessments, we work out changes in bird populations to help us assess which species are most in need of conservation and whether existing programmes are working.

As ever, there is good…

The strapline of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, one of UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, is “beautiful by nature” and it is easy to see why.

With vast expanse of natural habitat remaining, it is one of the places where EO Wilson’s Half-Earth hypothesis could work – putting aside half of the land and sea for nature.  Theoretically, Turks & Caicos is already on its way to the Convention…

Today I’m delighted to report the good news of the successful completion of a joint marine discovery expedition to the UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha, in partnership with National Geographic Pristine Seas and the Tristan da Cunha Government. Jonathan Hall, Head of our UK Overseas Territories team, tells the story below...

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After a 3,000 mile round-trip in an ex-Japanese naval training vessel…

All week I have been focusing on how the RSPB is helping to save nature in UK's Overseas Territories including in the Caribbean which is where I am this week.  But, mentally I shall return to Europe today to provide an update on our work in Cyprus.

Robin caught in a mist net (image credit: BirdLife Cyprus)

Cyprus hosts some very particular UK Overseas Territories: the two so-called “Sovereign Base Areas” of Dhekelia…

This week, I have been wrenched away from my normal context and been immersed in a completely different environment - the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. 

My first stop has been to Cayman Islands – a cluster of three islands renowned for finance and tourism but also of huge nature conservation significance with large tracks of intact natural habitat (including mangroves, dry forest and coast) which provide homes…

This week, I am fortunate to be making my first visit to our Overseas Territories.  I shall be meeting partners on the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos in the Caribbean to discuss how we can support them to address the many conservation challenges they face.

It seems timely to remember why we work in these places and, this week, through this blog, I shall give you an insight into the breadth of our work on the UKOTs…

As I reflected upon in yesterday’s blog, this week the UK Government has formally started a process that will redefine our place in the world.

Irrespective of our future relationship with the Europe Union, the UK has and will continue to have obligations to protect our most threatened species from extinction (such as Aichi target 12 under the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity). For us, the status of threatened…

It’s official - Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty has been triggered, the EU has been formally notified of the UK’s intention to withdraw and the Brexit negotiations can begin.  

Parliament Green in London was packed yesterday with reporters and camera crews seeking reaction and comment from politicians from all sides.  My guess is that few, if any, discussed the jeopardy and opportunity that Brexit brings for…

The annual Invasive Species Week is launched today.  

Why we are concerned

Invasive non-native species are known as one of the four horsemen of the ecological apocalypse (alongside habitat destruction, overexploitation and pollution - the worst example being greenhouse gases resulting in climate change) which are responsible for the major drivers of biodiversity loss across the world  This week the RSPB is joining organisations…

This has not been a good week.  I was shocked and angered by events in Westminster and our thoughts are with all those affected by the act of terror.  The attack took place on the day that we were due to celebrate the work of 43 MPs - our species champions - who have been prepared to use their political voices for threatened species.  

We need democratically elected politicians to speak out and we are always happy to work…

This morning at Rutland Water, Tim Appleton (one of the co-founders of Birdfair) revealed that £350,000 had been raised from last year's event.  This will support the BirdLife International partnership work for Important Bird Areas in Africa including Tsitongambarika Forest in Madagascar - home to the scaly ground roller which featured in last year's art work.

This means that since 1989, Birdfair (whi…

It was a gorgeous early spring day at the Lodge yesterday - birds in full song and butterflies finding their way in the sunshine.  It was a good time to host a director from one of BirdLife's partners in the Mediterranean.  Martin Hellicar, from BirdLife Cyprus, was over to help promote our joint report on the scale of illegal bird killing in Cyprus.

We have estimated that over 800,000 birds were killed on a British…